Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1.
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By understanding how natural forces affect the environment, Earth scientists
can
a. | better predict natural disasters. | c. | change human
nature. | b. | prevent natural disasters. | d. | change the course of history. |
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2.
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The study of meteorology involves the study of
a. | meteors. | c. | outer space. | b. | climate. | d. | animals. |
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3.
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Earth science is the scientific study of
a. | chemical equations. | c. | Earth and its universe. | b. | health and
nutrition. | d. | human
behavior. |
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4.
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An idea that has been tested repeatedly and gains acceptance is called a
a. | hypothesis. | c. | theory. | b. | law. | d. | controlled
experiment. |
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5.
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What are the four main branches of Earth science?
a. | chemistry, physics, biology, zoology | b. | geography, astrology, phrenology,
psychology | c. | geology, oceanography, astronomy, meteorology | d. | sophistry,
philosophy, anthropology, neurology |
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6.
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Which of the following scientific ideas has NOT had a far-reaching impact on
society?
a. | theory of plate tectonics | c. | theory of plate
technology | b. | quantum mechanics | d. | theory of evolution |
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7.
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Earth’s circumference is about 40,000 km, and its shape is
a. | an oval. | c. | a perfect sphere. | b. | an oblate spheroid. | d. | a perfect
circle. |
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8.
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Plants capture and transfer solar energy in a process called
a. | oikos. | c. | transpiration. | b. | ecology. | d. | photosynthesis. |
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9.
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The largest ecosystem on Earth is the
a. | continents. | c. | oceans. | b. | atmosphere. | d. | biosphere. |
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10.
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In general, how do ecosystems react to change?
a. | They restore balance. | c. | They collapse. | b. | They become disrupted. | d. | They become
smaller. |
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11.
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How does the transfer of energy throughout an ecosystem begin?
a. | Humans create pollution. | b. | Plants capture solar energy through
photosynthesis. | c. | The energy store on Earth is depleted. | d. | Producers eat
consumers. |
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12.
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Who was the first to explain the effects of gravity in his law of
gravitation?
a. | Mohorovicic | c. | Moho | b. | Oikos | d. | Isaac Newton |
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13.
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Which of the following is NOT one of the major processes in which energy and
matter repeatedly move through a series of reservoirs?
a. | carbon cycle | c. | biocycle | b. | nitrogen cycle | d. | phosphorus
cycle |
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14.
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Transpiration is one part of the
a. | ecosystem. | c. | hydrosphere. | b. | water cycle. | d. | biosphere. |
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15.
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What are counted in an atom to determine mass number?
a. | neutrons | c. | protons and electrons | b. | protons and
neutrons | d. | electrons |
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16.
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What is the atomic number of an element?
a. | the number of protons and neutrons | c. | the number of
neutrons | b. | the number of valence electrons | d. | the number of
protons |
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17.
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Elements are arranged on the periodic table
a. | in order of molecular numbers. | c. | alphabetically. | b. | in order of atomic
numbers. | d. | randomly. |
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18.
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What forces hold together the atoms in molecules?
a. | chemical mixtures | c. | gravity fields | b. | magnetic fields | d. | chemical bonds |
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19.
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How many atoms of sodium (Na) are there in the formula for table salt
NaCl?
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20.
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Density, color, and boiling point are examples of
a. | chemical descriptors. | c. | physical properties. | b. | chemical properties. | d. | physical
science. |
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21.
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Where are electrons found in atoms?
a. | in the electron sphere | c. | in the atomic ring cycle | b. | in the electron
zone | d. | in the electron
cloud |
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22.
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Chemical properties of matter are characteristics
a. | of subatomic particles that can be observed. | b. | that can be observed
without changing substances. | c. | that describe reactions between substances that
produce new substances. | d. | that can only be observed through
experimentation. |
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23.
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Physical properties of matter are characteristics that
a. | can be observed without changing the composition of substances. | b. | describe reactions
between substances. | c. | describe reactions between unreactive
substances. | d. | can be observed only after changing the composition of
substances. |
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24.
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What makes an atom an isotope?
a. | having a different number of protons than other atoms of the same
element | b. | having a different number of neutrons than other atoms of the same
element | c. | having the same number of neutrons as other atoms of the same
element | d. | having the same number of protons and electrons |
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25.
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What are the two main groups of minerals?
a. | metallic and nonmetallic | c. | rock-forming and
powder | b. | silicate and nonsilicate | d. | carbonate and silicate |
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26.
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What is radioactivity?
a. | another form of magnetism | b. | unstable atomic nuclei decay over time,
releasing particles and energy | c. | stable atomic nuclei decay over time, releasing
particles and energy | d. | contamination of organisms and
minerals |
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27.
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The color of a mineral in powdered form is called the mineral’s
a. | luster. | c. | cleavage. | b. | streak. | d. | fracture. |
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28.
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Light that is reflected from a mineral’s surface is called
a. | luster. | c. | radioactivity. | b. | steak. | d. | refraction. |
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29.
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The name for this type of rock means “changed form.”
a. | igneous | c. | metamorphic | b. | sedimentary | d. | sandstone |
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30.
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Most metamorphic rock forms as a result of
a. | foliation. | c. | chemical contact. | b. | magma flows. | d. | regional
metamorphism. |
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31.
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What type of rock texture results when extreme pressure causes minerals in
metamorphic rock to realign, or when minerals separate out into dark and light bands?
a. | mafic | c. | felsic | b. | foliated | d. | nonfoliated |
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32.
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In regional metamorphism, the change in rocks is the result of
a. | changes in temperature and pressure over a large area. | b. | limited occurrences
in a single region. | c. | activity on one continent. | d. | changes that take
place only above or only below Earth’s surface. |
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33.
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Which of the following is NOT an example of an extrusion?
a. | volcano | c. | volcanic neck | b. | batholith | d. | lava plateau |
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34.
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The series of changes that describes how geologic forces cause rock to change
from one type to another is known as
a. | Bowen’s reaction series. | c. | the rock cycle. | b. | Mohs hardness
scale. | d. | fractional
crystallization. |
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35.
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The age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects is
a. | absolute age. | c. | relative age. | b. | comparative age. | d. | relational age. |
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36.
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A fault or body of rock is younger than any other body of rock it cuts through
according to the law of
a. | crosscutting relationships. | c. | uniformitarianism. | b. | superposition. | d. | averages. |
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37.
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Carbon-14 is an isotope
a. | formed by radioactive decay. | b. | used to date objects less than 70,000 years
old. | c. | used to date objects over 6,000 years old. | d. | that cannot be used
to date objects. |
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38.
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Index fossils found in rock layers in different areas of the world indicate that
the rock layers
a. | formed during the same period of time. | b. | formed during different periods of
time. | c. | are still forming. | d. | never fully
formed. |
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39.
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The way fossils are formed in very dry places is called
a. | mummification. | c. | imprinting. | b. | petrification. | d. | sedimentation. |
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40.
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Why is radioactive decay used to determine the absolute age of rocks?
a. | Radioactive decay cannot be used to determine the age of a rock. | b. | Radioactive decay
happens very quickly. | c. | Radioactive decay does not happen at a constant
rate. | d. | Radioactive decay happens at a relatively constant
rate. |
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41.
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What is a gastrolith?
a. | a stone inside a fish | c. | a gas that became a stone | b. | a stone that was
inside a dinosaur | d. | fossilized waste |
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42.
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How many half-lifes would be necessary for a sample of parent isotopes to decay
to the point that only one-fourth of the sample is composed of parent isotopes?
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43.
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What is the crack in the ocean floor through which magma rises?
a. | a ridge | c. | a rift | b. | a rip | d. | a rent |
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44.
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Tectonic plates can include
a. | only asthenosphere. | c. | only continental crust. | b. | only oceanic
crust. | d. | both oceanic and
continental crust. |
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45.
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An example of a transform boundary is the
a. | San Andreas Fault in California. | b. | Nazca plate on the west coast of South
America. | c. | Eurasian plate at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. | d. | island arc of
Japan. |
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46.
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The force exerted by the leading edge of a subducting plate is
a. | convection. | c. | ridge push. | b. | tectonic plate drag. | d. | slab pull. |
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47.
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The study of paleomagnetism was key in proving Wegener’s hypothesis
because
a. | it provided evidence of sea-floor spreading. | b. | it proved that
fossils in Africa and South America were identical. | c. | it indicated that tropical swamps covered areas
that are now cold. | d. | it showed that mountains were formed by
continental drift. |
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48.
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Panthalassa was
a. | the supercontinent that formed before Pangaea. | b. | one of the
continents that formed from Pangaea. | c. | the large ocean that surrounded
Pangaea. | d. | a body of water cut into the eastern edge of Pangaea. |
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49.
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The splitting of Pangaea into two continents is part of
a. | the process of accretion. | c. | the process of slab
pull. | b. | a convection cell. | d. | the supercontinent cycle. |
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50.
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The most conclusive proof for continental drift was provided by
a. | the coastlines of continents on a map. | b. | evidence of sea-floor
spreading. | c. | identical fossils found on two separate continents. | d. | changes in climatic
patterns. |
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